C T Online Desk: All 16 spillways of the Kaptai Karnaphuli Hydropower Plant in Rangamati were opened on Monday afternoon for the third time this year, releasing around 9,000 cusecs of water per second into the Karnaphuli River.
Plant manager engineer Mahmud Hasan told this correspondent at 3pm that sudden rainfall in the lakeside area had pushed the water level of Kaptai Lake above the danger mark.
At 2:30pm, the level rose to 108.65 feet mean sea level, prompting the authorities to open the spillways by 6 inches each at 2:45pm, he said.
This is the third such move in just over a month. On August 5, following heavy rainfall and upstream hill torrents that raised the water close to the 109ft danger level, the spillways were opened for the first time this year. Initially opened by 6 inches, they were gradually widened to one and a half feet, then two and a half feet, and finally three and a half feet at the peak. After seven days of water release, the spillways were closed on August 12 at 9am when the level subsided.
Continuous rainfall, however, soon pushed the water level above the danger mark again. On August 20 at 8pm, the spillways were opened for the second time, again by six inches each, releasing around 9,000 cusecs per second into the Karnaphuli river.
With Monday’s rainfall causing another sharp rise, the spillways had to be opened for the third time.
